A seven-year-old boy with diabetes is the only person in the UK to be allergic to insulin - the hormone he desperately needs to keep him alive.

Taylor Banks was diagnosed with type one diabetes aged two after months of being lethargic, constantly thirsty and wetting the bed.

Doctors put his symptoms down to colds and viruses but in 2010 he shocked parents Gema Westwell and Scott Banks, both 30, when he fell into a hypoglycaemic coma.

The Leigh youngster was given a 50 per cent chance of survival but was released from hospital after a stay in intensive care.

But when former hairdresser Gema began injecting her son with insulin to regulate his blood sugar she found his skin and muscle collapsed - leaving huge dents - or swelled.

Taylor was eventually diagnosed with an allergy to insulin and doctors now believe he is the only person in the UK to have the rare sensitivity.

Taylor’s aunt Abi Westwell, 25, said: “After Taylor’s diabetes diagnosis doctors told us it would take a while for his body to settle down, but we knew fairly early on he was not a regular patient.

“He was in extreme pain every time Gema tried to inject him, which she had to do several times a day because of his erratic blood sugar.

“It was really frustrating for Gema because she kept returning to the doctor demanding more was done. She knew there would be a day she would run out of places to inject him.

“It took about two years and numerous blood tests before his allergy was diagnosed.

“In the last few weeks doctors have told us Taylor is believed to be the first person in the UK to have this allergy. Because they can’t find any other cases, they are not sure how to treat him.”

Gema was forced to frequently switch the places she injected her young son - swapping between his arms, legs, bottom and stomach - because of the severity of his reactions.

The insulin left Taylor frequently in extreme pain and some of the indentations left on his body where his muscle and tissue collapsed may never disappear.

Two weeks ago the youngster was rushed to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital because the injections of insulin - the hormone his body so desperately needs to keep him alive - were causing him such agony.

Brave Taylor was put on a permanent IV drip, which pumped insulin straight into his bloodstream but still caused an internal allergic reaction.

Doctors admitted they were unsure of the best course of treatment because they have no previous cases to go off, and on Monday Taylor was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

His condition is currently being investigated by some of the UK’s top allergy experts in the hope alternative treatment can be found - but the move means his mum must stay in London while dad Scott, a metal yard supervisor, remains at home in Leigh.

Abi, a sales administrator from Ashton-in-Makerfield, has now launched an appeal to raise £4,000 to send Taylor and his parents on a magical trip to Disneyland Florida next year.

After spreading the word on social media more than £600 in donations has already flooded in and 225 people have bought tickets to a charity party in Leigh this Friday.

Abi said: “Taylor is hilarious and loves being the centre of attention - he always has a smile on his face and never lets his illness bother him. He loves superheroes and Disney.

“Taylor, Gema and Scott have had such a hard time and I wanted them to be able to do something just for them to give them the break they have needed for a long time.

“Gema and Scott have been brilliant - they have been through so much and stayed so strong.”

Dad Scott, 30, a metal yard supervisor, said: “Taylor is a little warrior. This is just another day in the office for him, because he has been in and out of hospital since he was two years old. He doesn’t know any different, which is sad really.

“The doctors are doing all that they can – we do not put any blame on them. But it is frustrating to know Taylor is going through this and people keep telling us they don’t know what to do.

“It is not nice for me not to be down there with him and Gema, but the bills still have to be paid so I have no choice but to stay up here. If I had it my way I would be down there right now.

“We did not expect the fundraising to take off the way it did. There are people getting in touch that we do not even know, complete strangers.

“For people to show this kind of support for a person that means so much to me and Gema is amazing. He is our son, and we love him so much, and all these amazing people are getting involved for someone we care about.

“There is nothing we can say that will explain how grateful we are. I can say thank you all day long and it is never enough.”

Taylor was officially diagnosed with an insulin allergy in 2014.

Experts at diabetes.co.uk, a global online diabetes community, say while insulin side effects among diabetics are rare they can be severe and pose a significant risk to health.

To make a donation: go to https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/abi-westwell